2009 Lunch Hanami @ Shinjuku Gyoen Park

Japanese rarely go out to the park for picnic except during the cherry blossoms season. Everybody sits down under blooming pink sakura (cherry blossom) trees to eat, chat and enjoy the breezy spring wind.

This year, my first with Gap, some of the members of our team decided to have picnic lunch at Shinjuku Gyoen.

The park is just a few minutes away from the office but I didn't expect it to be this beautiful. As I strolled down the park's pathways, I remembered Central Park in NY. Shinjuku Gyoen Park is so awesome, and so romantic.

For a meager entrance fee of 200 yen (I think), one can lazily spend the day out wandering over trees and Shinjuku's skyscrapers.

It's a bit sad that my first will also be my last lunch hanami picnic here at Gyoen because next year our office will be relocated.

I will definitely come back next year with my camera (yup, yup, I should be buying a new one soon.). I cant wait to capture the beautiful scenery that is called Shinjuku Gyoen Park.